So, what do you all think of a red-tailed (I think) hawk sitting on your deck railing?  Who flew away 2 times only to return again.  Not high in a tree, but just outside your kitchen window sitting on your deck railing.

I am not Tiresias, but I think it is a good sign. Hawks are like princes. Eagles are like Kings. At my local Parish, Holy Child Jesus which we are trying to convert fully to tradition, there are two hawks who come to visit us. A male and a female. They like to perch on the Holy Cross atop the steeple and watch over the neighborhood. My Father always watches them. So If I had to guess the meaning of the sign I would say that it is a sign that Christ the King is watching over you and protecting you.

Once as I was walking in the forest with my Father to go look at the place of my Brother Patrick's death (where my father would plant flowers), we saw on of the hawks with a squirrel in her talons. The hawk slowly walked away out of our eyesight. I saw her with my own eyes. What is the meaning of that sign? I hope it is a sign of my brother's salvation, but perhaps that would be superstitious, I believe it was a grey squirrel and not a white one.

My Father likes to tell a story about a peregrine falcon her in New York City. They had a falcon and a falconer who protects Bryant Park in Manhattan from pests like rats and such. The hawk would fly above and come swooping down to devour any vermin. But one day the hawk made a mistake and killed a little dog, crushing her in his talons. And because of that one mistake they got rid of the falcon. As Yeats wrote and I love to quote: "Turning and turning in the wideninng gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer;". I heard that Yeats was an occultist.

The third time is significant, because ON the third day Christ rose again. I hope we are all praying that you are able to get to Mass more often. Or that you are strong enough to subsist without the Eucharist by making spiritual Communions.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2018/11/13/amp/how-rare-are-white-squirrels.aspx

Interesting that white squirrels are rare.  Seems to fit the analogy well if you believe that the number of those who are saved is small.

Thanks for the song. I love poems and songs. I loved this one so much I wrote it in my book and will learn it by heart.

Oh no, did someone mention squirrels! 



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Two days ago while walking home from Kew Gardens, I witnessed a battle between sparrows and ugly pigeons. It was in a field enclosed by a fence. I saw the sparrows lined up in rows and the ugly pigeons were all in a jumble. It was like watching a football game. The sparrows were swift and ran circles around the pigeons and the pigeons had to retreat despite being so much larger than the sparrows. They all flew away except for one who was kept prisoner. I don't like ugly city pigeons. I like sparrows. I am only a child. I like going for walks and looking at the flowers and the birds and the butterflies and the bees and the ants. They are my friends.

You mention the pigeons and the squirrels, I think you make an interesting observation. I've had to deal with pigeons for years in the city with my work, they're really a disgusting creature, they beg and harass you for food constantly, complete nuisance  and crap all over the place, which is very toxic. I have no use pigeons, two-legged, feathered parasites in my opinion.
As for the squirrels, I worked in one the crappiest neighborhoods in the Bronx years ago, there was garbage and trash all over the streets and sidewalks amongst a bunch of condemned houses with noise, pollution and drugs everywhere. a real blight within the city. And one thing I noticed besides the occasional rat scurrying by were these big black squirrels, they were everywhere. I've never seen them before or since I left that dump. I always thought that was strange. You may be on to something. 

I got bit by a spider a couple of weeks ago in my bedroom, I didn't do a damn thing to it. Gave me a big welt on my shoulder.
Damn thing still itches.
I also been stung by bees for no reason and I'm allergic. I can be killed by one of these little winged devils if things don't go right.
I don't like bugs or insects or spiders or any other litter critter that comes in arm's reach of me and if it does, it's lights out for it. I'm not taking any chances. These creatures are not here to make our life any better IMO. But the do serve a purpose I suppose, but make no mistake, they can and will make your life miserable for no reason at all other than you exist in their world.
I'm not one of these people who believe's " Nature's our friend". Far from it actually. Nature is always on the attack against man, just think how long you would last living out there in the "open doors" with lovely nature with no shelter or protection. Just think of how many people die each year from bug bites, insect bites, snake bites and animal attacks. Nature is out there to eliminate you, not live in peace. Including spiders.
No, spiders are far from harmless and nature is not your friend, my friend.

Sorry to hear of your suffering, Alaric.

However I DO love nature and we have a very pleasant relationship. You have very good reason to fear a bee though.

Do you know what spider it was that bit you? I have been known to kill a spider or two depending on what sort it is.

I do have some favourite spiders. One is the St Andrew's Cross Spider, because they are beautiful, and another the Huntsman, because they eat cockroaches.

Spiders are not nearly so scary as people imagine. There has be no spider related death in Australia since 1980 when the antivenom for the the Sydney funnel web came into use.

Here's some interesting reading on the subject:

Common spiders you'll find in Australia: deadly, dangerous and harmless
https://www.austates.com.au/common-spiders-youll-find-in-australia/

Forget spiders and snakes, horses are more likely to kill you, study of Australian coronial data shows - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-17/horse-more-likely-to-kill-you-than-bees-wasps-snakes-spiders/8188842

Right now we are suffering from severe lack of rain. I think that this might be the reason that we have a pair of crimson rosellae spending much time on our front lawm feeding on grass seeds. We will enjoy observing them as long as they stay.

Hope you enjoy seeing three chicks developing to independence.

This squirrel must be of the liturgical interpretive dance species